1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electronic book readers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The term “electronic book” or “e-book” signifies a data file representing a book or other published document in a form suitable for display on an e-book “reader”. The reader is generally a hand-held device which allows a user to read electronic documents such as e-books on a display screen. Often the display screen makes use of so-called “electronic paper”, which is a type of display technology which relies on reflected light (rather than backlighting) and which uses electrical power only to change the information which is displayed, rather than to maintain the display of a particular page. These features can mean that e-book readers have a long battery life, and that the experience of viewing an e-book reader is more similar to reading a physical book than it is to viewing a computer screen.
E-book distribution and e-book readers are rapidly growing in popularity. From the point of view of the consumer, an e-book reader allows the user to carry a large number of e-books in a small device. It is considered easier and quicker to purchase an e-book, requiring just a data downloading process, than to purchase a physical book via a visit to a physical bookstore or a postal delivery. E-book distribution also has advantages for the publisher and retailer. It can be much cheaper to maintain a server which sells e-books than to carry real inventory of physical books in shops and warehouses.
E-books allow users to generate and share electronic comments and notes via a central server. Examples of such arrangements are disclosed in: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_200504440_kcus_pubnotes?nodeld=200504440#publicnotes. This reference discusses techniques whereby a user can write a note in respect of a particular passage of an e-book. The note can then be passed to a central server, from which it can be distributed to and read by other users who own the same e-book.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improvements in or relating to e-book readers and/or e-book distribution.